Interview
Public Viewing for LGBTQ+ The European Championship in the “Pride House”: “Reconciling queer people with sport”
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During the European Championships, the “Pride House” in Berlin is offering public viewing for queer people. Project manager Alice Drouin explains in an interview why this is necessary and what kind of experiences the community has in the stadium.
The public viewing facility for the queer community in Berlin is called “Pride House”. Why?
The concept actually came about during the Olympic Games. There have long been houses there during competitions, for example for different nations. There have also been “Pride Houses” there for over ten years. Our public viewing concept is based on this and does not exist anywhere else in Germany. The Poststadion in Berlin is now the meeting point for the queer community during the European Championships. We will show all 51 games there. There is a program around it. So people don’t just watch football, they also get information and exchange ideas.
Who can come?
Everyone. Of course, we primarily want to address people who belong to the queer community. That means lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans*, intersex, and non-binary people. But we also invite all people who see themselves as allies. The concept is known under the English term “allyship”. This refers to people who are not queer but stand by our side in solidarity. And curious people are of course also warmly welcome. We have professionally trained staff on site should any problems arise.
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To person
Alice Drouin, 36, is project manager of the “Pride House” in Berlin. She also heads the sports department for the Lesbian and Gay Association Berlin-Brandenburg eV. When Germany scored the equalizer in the match against Switzerland, she was sitting in the office – and heard around 800 people cheering.
And who is really coming?
Most Berliners take advantage of the offer. But we have also had international guests, for example Scottish fans, who traveled here especially for the concept. But the turnout is the biggest for Germany games. At each of the last two games, over 800 people came to us. I don’t know how many were queer, how many were “allies” or curious people. From conversations, I got the impression that there were a lot of queer people among them. But non-queer families also like to come, for example because less alcohol is consumed. There is also less shouting and people don’t stand so close together. It is more pleasant for people who cannot tolerate so many stimuli.
It almost sounds as if watching football in the “Pride House” was a quiet, rather joyless affair.
No, the atmosphere is just a little more relaxed. We have seven rules and the seventh is: have fun and enjoy yourself. Of course people should and want to be able to enjoy good football. Of course we also celebrate. But only in a context in which – that is another rule, for example – diversity is valued. Sport simply excludes many people. We want to reconcile queer people with sport. We want to create a place where everyone can feel like part of the European Championship.
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Do we need to reconcile queer people with sport?
Not everyone. But the queer community experiences many microaggressions and even discrimination. Many have already had bad experiences in school sports. And when it comes to the offerings for the masses, marginalized people are ignored – even as adults. Because these are places where the standard is lived. In stadiums or at other public viewings, things often get physical, there are many intoxicated people, lots of alcohol, sometimes aggression. People stand close together. Not everyone feels comfortable with that.
But does that mean you have to isolate yourself? You could raise awareness by showing yourself and showing how things can be done differently. People who perhaps have little contact with the queer community could get to know it better.
And that’s exactly what’s happening in our Pride House Berlin! In the future, I would also like to see no more need for special offers. That would mean that all other offers are well thought out enough so that everyone feels comfortable there. As long as that is not the case, additions are needed. So that everyone can go to a place where they like to watch football. We have nothing against the other offers at all, we don’t want to get rid of them. It’s just that many queer people are simply tired – and that’s the weakest word to describe the feeling – of constantly having bad experiences. Or they are tired of always having to educate others.
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Do you have examples of concrete experiences?
I recommend the documentary “Diversity in the Stadium – Queer Fans”. In it, a trans person tells, among other things, what it is like for her to go to the stadium. It starts, for example, with the stewards at the entrance assigning you a gender and then you might be frisked by a man even though you are a woman. Or that you can’t go to the toilet you would like to go to. Then there are chants with anti-trans language, for example. In this case, it may not be directed against the person, but you know that you are included in the chant. That hurts. Outsiders may not find all of this bad, but things like that add up. It is the sum of bad experiences that make life hell.
Do queer people feel particularly threatened by the European Championships?
In general, you live with a latent feeling of being threatened. This is only exacerbated by larger numbers of people. But during this European Championship it is also Pride month. This is the best time of the year for the community, because queer people are actually never more visible. I have the feeling that this complements things a little, which is nice.
Pride month and the European Championships, do you think they go together?
I think it can work well. At least on paper, the two events have something in common: togetherness, openness to others, the joy of getting to know others.
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